Archaeoacoustic analysis of Cybele’s temple, Imperial Roman Palace of Felix Romuliana, Serbia

An interpretation using a method complementary to archaeology

Paolo Debertolis*, Maja Zivić**

 *Department of Medical Sciences - University of Trieste, Italy

**National Museum Zaječar, Curator of Roman Palace Felix Romuliana, Gamzigrad, Serbia

Abstract - Archaeoacoustic and physical phenomena research at ancient sites has developed beyond the initial stage. Our research group uses a practical standard (SBSA) complementing the field of archaeology. Studying archaeoacoustics and natural phenomena over the last four years, has enables us to offer an explanation as to some of the enigmas of ancient archaeological sites that were not possible to explain with other methods. Following our experience, we applied the same method to look at an interesting question about the orientation of Cybele’s Temple situated within the Imperial Roman Palace Felix Romuliana, South-East Serbia. This temple and its fixtures are the only place within the palace that is not oriented along the east-west axis of the complex as was the Roman tradition (Decumanus). Historians also made reference to mysterious rituals, so we used archaeoacoustical methods to better understand why this ought be. We found that the temple’s orientation followed the direction of some infrasound and low frequency vibrations most likely originating from an underground flow of water. These frequencies would have increased the effect of rituals by enhancing the psyche of the participants due to the influence of these low vibrations on human brain waves. This suggests the builders of this temple had some sort of knowledge of this effect.

Keywords: archaeoacoustics, infrasounds, low frequencies, brain activity, SBRG

This scientific paper was published on the issue of December 2015 (Volume 3, Number 2, pp.1-19)of the Journal of Anthropology and Archaeology (USA), ISSN 2334-2420 (Print Version) 2334-2439 (Online Version),  DOI: 10.15640/jaa.v3n2a1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/jaa.v3n2a1.

You can find the original paper in English here.

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